Sequestration threatens Colorado’s future

In the days leading up to March 1, Americans all across the country were bombarded with ominous headlines about the impending doom that would set in if the federal budget cuts known as sequestration took effect. But when the sky didn’t fall weeks and months later, a different narrative began to take shape — one that implied maybe the sequester isn’t so bad and that the impending fall out was completely overblown. To see countless pundits downplay the very real damages of sequestration cuts is downright frightening because, for many Coloradoans, this is not a matter of if they will be hit by these cuts, but when.

The sequester was never designed to drop an axe on every housing, education and health service all at once. The cuts will continue to gradually be phased in. And while many programs and social service agencies have been given a brief grace period to adjust their budgets and spending, the reality is that deep cuts will eventually hit bone.

There is no question that sequestration is bad policy for this state, and especially bad policy for Latinos in Colorado. Sequestration undermines highly effective programs crucial to the livelihood of Latinos. Latino children will account for many of the 700 kids that will be kicked out of the Head Start program in Colorado this Fall. Those same families will likely lose access to child care services, as well as critical job search assistance programs that will be slashed by more than $300,000.

I work directly with Latinos to help train the next generation of leaders in our community. When families are being shortchanged of these critical services, they have to refocus their attention on just making sure that they have a roof over their head, money for doctor’s visits and food on the table. That atmosphere does not produce the kind of robust, engaged leaders that our community needs right now.

About one million Hispanics live in Colorado, the eighth largest Hispanic population in any state. In 2012, there were 485,000 Latinos in Colorado’s labor force, making up 17.8% of the state’s total workforce. And, overall, the growing Latino population in Colorado is very young. Decimating programs that invest in areas like education, job training, and health care that Hispanics rely on does a grave disservice to Colorado, because it seriously jeopardizes the future of this state.

Congress can fix this. When people were forced to stand in longer lines at the airport because of air traffic controller furloughs, calls grew loud enough that a solution was found. That was a minor inconvenience in comparison to the real problems brought about by these cuts that jeopardize the health and well-being of our states residents, like ambulance services being cut off to rural areas.

We need Congress to produce a fair and responsible long-term budget plan that grows the economy, invests in the future, and protects vulnerable people. There is no reason why we can carve out tax breaks for wealthy corporations, but we can’t protect the programs that help struggling working families in Colorado.

It’s clear that Congress is intent on more deficit reduction this year, but they can do that by closing tax loopholes that benefit the top 2 percent and wealthy corporations. We can’t continue to place the burden of deficit reduction on workers and families. If we want to ensure that this state has a healthy, educated and vibrant future workforce, than there’s no question—we must repeal the sequestration cuts once and for all.

Polly Baca is an officer of the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, and Research Organization (CLLARO) and a former Colorado state senator.

sorry Polly it’s really the opposite. Bigger government, more spending and more debt are what threaten Colorado’s future. It’s either sequestration now, or a complete economic collapse later.

GeeGee McCoy

Why is the media NOT writing about this important information about how our legal representation has been compromised?

Late in the evening on September 30, 2013, the House Rules Committee
Republicans changed the Rules of the House so that the ONLY Member
allowed to call up the Senate’s clean CR for a vote was Majority Leader
Eric Cantor or his designee — all but guaranteeing the government would
shut down a few hours later and would stay shut down. Previously, any
Member would have had the right to bring the CR up for a vote. Democracy
has been suspended in the House of Representatives.”

Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

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